Sydney Woodrow Parfrey, a talented character actor, was born in New York City, New York, to Hazel James and Sidney Parfrey, both Welsh immigrants. Parfrey's career in American film and television took off in the 1960s, and he became known for his quirky charm, bringing a unique energy to every role he played.
He initially gained recognition for his performance as an unbalanced informer in the Broadway production of "Advise and Consent" in 1961, which set the tone for his offbeat and conspiratorial persona in numerous TV and movie appearances throughout the 1960s and 1980s.
Despite being a supporting player, Parfrey managed to secure some significant TV guest-star roles, primarily in the late 1960s, and appeared in a few notable big-screen films, including the role of a wretched prisoner in the 1973 film "Papillon." His collaboration with director Franklin Schaffner also led to his iconic appearance as one of the three "See No Evil" orangutan judges in the 1968 film "Planet of the Apes," which he would reprise in the pilot of the spinoff TV series.
Parfrey worked with the unofficial repertory companies of both Clint Eastwood and Don Siegel, and his dedication to bringing an edgy "something extra" to his profession has been passed down to his son, Adam Parfrey, an "underground" publisher.
